Two off-duty Lincolnshire police officers who fought off an armed robber outside a jewellers have spoken for the first time after receiving a regional bravery award.

Grantham-based sergeants Iain McIvor and David Wilson were nominated after putting their own safety on the line in an attempt to thwart the crime at Andrew Michael's Jewellers in Newark on January 6, 2016.

And they say they would do it again in an instant - despite the dangers they faced.

Despite being off the clock , the pair cut short celebrations of McIvor’s promotion and heroically confronted a shotgun-wielding thief and several others after hearing screams from concerned members of the public.

Read More

Cries of “get back or I’ll shoot” were heard coming from the robber armed with the gun who was also backed up by a gang of four as they attempted to steal around £250,000 worth of watches and jewellery.

The pair raced in to try to stop the robbers in their tracks, with Sergeant McIvor grabbing the man with the shotgun in a bear-hug before wrestling him to the ground in a bid to remove the firearm from the robber’s control.

However, the offender managed to get into the getaway car, which took off, dragging Sergeant McIvor for almost 20 metres before he was thrown out.

Their selfless actions were caught on camera - being shared thousands of times across the internet, which led to them both scooping a regional police bravery award.

The pair are the proud recipients of a regional police bravery award (Image: Lincolnshire Police)

Speaking after receiving the award, Sergeant Wilson said: “I feel so privileged to have won the award and proud of what happened on the night.

“You feel humbled to listen to the other stories from around the country, so we’re so very proud to win ourselves.”

“As harrowing as it is to watch it back, I would do it again – it’s what the police do,” added Sergeant McIvor.

“It’s been fantastic to be here at the Police Bravery Awards.”

Sgt McIvor (left) and Sgt Wilson

The information gained by the officers was enough to lead to the arrests of all involved.

Nathan Clarke, 28, of Wrigsham Street, Coventry, received 15 years imprisonment for conspiracy to rob and converting criminal property. He was also given a further two years for an unrelated offence.

Adil Yasin, 25, of Oakwood Road, Springfield in Birmingham; Imran Zamir, 24, of Gladstone Road, in Sparbrook, Birmingham; Raju Miah, 25, of Birmingham; and Tommy Walden, 28, of Peck Avenue, in Boston, were each given ten years, eight months for conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.

John Daly, 29, of Station Road in Kings Norton, Birmingham, received 15 years, six months for conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.

Michelle Bradley, 30, of Forbes Road, in Boston; and Emma Porter, 35, of Allington Garden, in Boston, each received four years for conspiracy to rob.

Speaking about the pair's award, Jon Hassall, chairman of Lincolnshire Police Federation, said: “These two officers, who were off-duty, and had zero protective equipment, made the heroic decision to act in the face of incredible danger. This is an incredible example of bravery in the finest traditions of the British Police Service"

Stephen Mann, chief executive of Police Mutual, added: “Every nominee at this year’s awards has shown outstanding courage and thoroughly deserves to be recognised. Your continued bravery helps ensure that millions of people in our country are kept safe, which is perhaps more important than ever given recent events across the world. This is why we proudly continue to support this event.”